Full Press Release

PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO COMPETITION SERIES ANNOUNCES 2010 COMPETITIONS – OVER $80,000 IN PRIZES

The “Superbowl” of International Underwater Image & Video Competitions Celebrates The Splendor, Mystery & Plight of The Oceans With Categories For All Levels From Novices To Professionals

New York, NY (Oct. 12, 2010) – Underwater photographers and videographers have become the unsung heroes of the most important ecosystem on earth. During a time when the oceans are in crisis, a growing global community of scuba divers and photographers have become the eyes and ears of the ocean, helping to educate and inspire the rest of the world.

One of the largest and most prestigious international underwater photography and video competition series celebrates its five year anniversary this year. The competitions showcase the beauty, mystery and delicacy of the marine environment, as well as the art of underwater photography. Underwater photographers of all levels, from novice to professionals, will compete in what has become the “Superbowl” of international underwater imagery events, with over $80,000 of world-class prizes, major industry involvement, and the opportunity to have their images showcased to the world as some of the best. Esteemed judges include leading professional underwater photographers, cinematographers and magazine editors from around the world.

The unique competition series was founded by professional underwater photographers Jason Heller & Eric Cheng and hosted by popular websites DivePhotoGuide.com and Wetpixel.com. The series is held in association with two leading scuba diving expos on opposite sides of the world, simultaneously - Our World Underwater, now in its 40th year, and one of the largest consumer scuba diving expos in the US, and DEEP Indonesia, the first and only scuba diving and watersports expo in Indonesia, one of the most bio-diverse marine ecosystems in the world.

Participants will compete in technical, themed and video categories, to win more than $80,000 in prizes including premium dive travel, underwater photo and video equipment, scuba diving gear and more. Dive packages include trips to some of the top photo destinations in the world.

A complete list of sponsors, prizes and competition guidelines are listed on the website underwatercompetition.com.

** Deadline for submissions Jan 15, 2010 **

Winners for each respective competition will be announced live on stage at either the Our World Underwater film festival in Chicago (February 19 - 21, 2010), or at DEEP Indonesia in Jakarta (March 27 – 29, 2010), and will be published by supporting media partners worldwide. Winning videos will be broadcast via The Underwater Channel, and podcast as episodes of the iTunes-featured DiveFilm Podcast Video and DiveFilm High Definition Podcast Video